Sherdog Prospect Watch: Five UFC-Ready Fighters

Vyacheslav Vasilevsky (25-2)

The M-1 Global middleweight champion is riding an eight-fight winning streak following his exit from a Bellator tournament in the spring of 2012. That string of victories features wins over UFC and Strikeforce veteran Trevor Prangley, former UFC and Bellator fighter Maiquel Jose Falcao Goncalves and a dizzying array of solid regional prospects and journeymen. Vasilevsky has beaten strikers, wrestlers, Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts, combat sambo champions and everyone in between, and the time has come to prove he can hang with some of the best in the world.

Vasilevsky’s game is similar to that of UFC welterweight Rick Story, although the Russian is bigger, more athletic and right-handed. An excellent wrestler and longtime judo black belt, Vasilevsky is fundamentally a pressure fighter who loves to back his opponent onto the fence or ropes and unload vicious body-head punching combinations. He slings a crisp jab at every opportunity and follows with either a straight or looping right hand, and he is adept at throwing while moving, both forward and countering on the back step. He is hittable at range, could stand to use more head movement and would benefit from mixing up his strike selection a bit more, but he is game, durable and relentless.

Despite his polish as a striker and his willingness to throw down at range, Vasilevsky’s best skill set is probably his work in the clinch. He is tremendously strong and easily maintains control while throwing hard knees and punches, and he possesses a slick arsenal of trips and throws. The Russian’s defensive wrestling is rock-solid, and while he might benefit from working more takedowns of his own -- his top control and ground striking are excellent -- it is hard to argue with his results.

More than any particular skill set, cardio is the real strength of Vasilevsky’s game. He never seems to get tired, no matter how grueling a pace he seems to set, and he carries his power and output into the championship rounds. He is utterly relentless when he smells the finish. Although he has real power in his hands, he does not rely on it, and Vasilevsky projects as a fighter who could reliably win decisions against durable, game competition.

Vasilevsky probably will not win a major MMA title, but he could become a fun action fighter who rises into either the middleweight or welterweight top 10 and puts on a ton of entertaining fights along the way.